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Monday, May 14, 2012

My First Impression Of The Color Purple

The Color
Purple by Alice Walker has been known to be one of the most influencing works
of the 20th century. It tells stories of the struggle of African-American women
in America. I have put this book in my wishlist in Goodreads as well as in myClassics Club list. However, I still don't have the 'courage' to read it,
realizing that reading books about pain and suffer always require my deep
passionate and emotional involvement.

So, I was
glad when one of the participants of The Classics Club was hosting a readalongof this book. It's encouraging to know that there others who are reading the
same book as what you're reading at the same time. I also thank Annisa who lent
this book to me. And here I am on page 63 (of 294), but has already been struck
by the story...

The story is
written as a series of letters addressed to God, by an African-American young
woman named Cellie. She was fourteen years old when she was forced to have sex
with his father. Becoming a wife didn't make things better either for Cellie.
It seemed normal for men at that time to beat their wives just to make them see
who the boss of the family is. Some of them just struggled to survive, just as
Cellie:

"I don't know how to fight. All I know
how to do is stay alive."

But some of
them would fight, like Sofia:

"All my life I had to fight. I had to
fight my daddy. I had to fight my brothers. I had to fight my cousins and my
uncles. A girl child ain't safe in a family of men."

It struck me
how men could be so cruel to their wives and children. Men, who were supposed
to be family protector, have become the enemy in their own household. However,
considering what had happened at the time which this story used as a setting, everything
seems reasonable.

1930’s has
been noted in history as a hard time for African-American in America,
especially in the Southern. Racism was still strong at that time, although some
organizations such as Ku Klux Klan had had declined. It’s also hard for
African-American women with exceedingly low position in American social culture
at that time. Those circumstances are the background of The Color Purple. I
think the inferiority of African-American to white people made the situation
worsen for African-American women. When the men were intimidated by white
people, they found the need to compensate it by intimidating their women (and
children) to prove to themselves and to the world that they still have power.
The Great Depression also occurred at the same time, which only worsen the
situation.

So far, I’m
enjoying this book, although I was confused a little bit at first with the
language used by African-American, but I got used to it after several pages.
Next week I will publish a character analysis from this book in Character
Thursday meme, and will post my review at the end of the readalong, on 31 May
2012.